Definitely good to know.....thank you for chiming in! I didn't realize how cheap they would be.....like you said, around $6....including shipping! So I think I'll give them a shot, since I wouldn't be out much if they aren't a good fit for us:001_smile:

Ahhhhh.....thank you, ladies! Just what I was looking for :)

My son is working through Lial's Introductory Algebra and his brother is close behind. I thought I remembered reading someplace that there are dvds that go along with this course, but can't find them anywhere. If they exist, can someone point me in the right direction? I have a 7th edition and an 8th edition text. (As a side note.....my son who is using the text now is doing fine as-is, but mentioned that it might help him to grasp the concepts easier and more quickly if there was a video lesson to watch.)

We've been using MUS for about 5 years now. My oldest is in Geometry this year and I had originally purchased the MUS Geometry set. However, after getting it home and looking more closely at it, I decided to go with something else. To me, it just seemed way too easy and I wanted him to be challenged a bit more. He's average in math, but has great visual perception (can see the end product before he begins building something), so we were looking forward to geometry with him. I felt like he could coast through MUS Geometry, so I looked at a few other programs and ended up going with Jacobs Geometry. For us, it has been an excellent fit. Challenging enough, but not overwhelming. He's not breezing through it, but is not dragging along either. I liked that it does use proofs, but is not "proof-heavy". I don't have the MUS Geometry here anymore to look at in person, but if I remember correctly, I don't think there was much in the way of proofs in the course. For our family, I felt like having proofs as a part of the course was important. Not everyone feels that way, though. (And it could be that I'm remembering incorrectly.....maybe there are a good bit of proofs in MUS and I overlooked them.)

Thanks, ladies. I was able to order a copy of the Foerster Alg. 1 student text, so I'll be able to compare them side by side myself. Now....need to keep my eyes peeled for the teacher's edition....

Yes, that is what I was thinking. As long as I have answers for Alg. 1 I should be fine, but beyond that, I'd like to have the security of the SM :)

Good to know about the TM and SM. I, too, have a degree in math and feel fairly comfortable with Algebra, so it sounds like I might be able to get away with just the TM.

Is the Solutions Manual the one you have to purchase from the company? (Unless another homeschooler is selling their copy.)

Sue----Do you have both the TM and the Solutions Manual? Does the TM contain all the answers to the problems? Jean---Did you choose Jacobs for a particular reason? Had you considered other Alg. programs and found Jacob's more to your liking/preference, or did you know "off the bat" that Jacob's was the one you wanted? Also, is there a supplement/reference that gives the answers to the problems? I know a few answers are in the back of the textbook, but what about the rest?

Also......do you recommend the teacher's edition or the solutions manual for the Foerster's Alg.1?

Thank you, ladies! Will begin my hunt for the best price, 1994 ed or later :)

My oldest son is currently using Jacob's Geometry and doing well with it. I'm looking for an algebra text for the next son (and those behind him). With my oldest we used MUS and I feel like he didn't get a good, solid foundation in algebra. Thus, he is still struggling with algebraic concepts and applications. I'd like a text I can use as a review for him (before moving onto Alg.2) and also for the next son to get a good, solid algebra foundation from the get-go. I have the Jacob's Elementary Algebra book here on hand (just received it the other day) and have heard many accolades for Foerster's. I'd like to see the Foerster algebra text "in person" to make a better, informed decision about which to use, but I'm confused as to the different edition of Foerster's. Any suggestions as to which edition/year of Foerster's Algebra is best to go with? (That way if I get one to review and like it I can stick with that particular edition.) Open to your expert advice :)

I am looking for a self-directed/video based art curriculum for my 9 year old son. He wants to learn how to draw/paint/color like an artist and I just don't have have the knowledge or time to assist him. I have been considering Barry Stebbing's programs: either "I Can Do All Things" or "Feed My Sheep". Having not used this yet, I don't know if this is the best curriculum to use in our situation or not. If I do go this route, I don't know whether to go with the "I Can Do All Things" curriculum (possibly too easy/baby?) or the "Feed My Sheep" level (too challenging?). Art advice......please!

I'm not sure that this is the correct place to post these, so someone point me in the right direction if I am amiss....... I have 2 Enfagrow coupons that need to be used by September 30 of 2011. They are each for $5 off of an Enfagrow powder product. If you could use these, please contact me and I'll be happy to mail them to you. I can't use them and hate to see $10 worth of coupons go in the trash!

Ahhhhh.....that is what I'm afraid of! I don't want to spend a year on MUS geometry, only to find out that we need to do "more" to make geo a "complete" course. Think I might need to be looking at a different curriculum in order to meet our goals! Thanks for your insight!

Sue, Thanks for this info! Will spend some time reading the various posts you've linked to within your post. I appreciate your perspective. Carrie

Yes, your thoughts/experience were what I suspected! I'm glad you took the time to share, as it is hard to judge a program without actually having worked through it myself. I'm not sure exactly what post-high school education my children will pursue, but want them to be prepared (as much as possible) to continue their studies, building on a solid foundation. Incidentally, I have just recently heard of Lial's, and surmised that it must be a fairly thorough, in-depth curriculum.

Hello, My oldest is just in 9th grade this year and we have been using MUS for numerous years now. I've been thrilled with this program, but am now having reservations about the upper level math courses it offers. We will be starting Geometry in the fall, and the MUS version just looks too "shallow" compared to what I was expecting geometry to be. I'd love to hear others' thoughts about MUS at the upper levels----do you find it thorough/deep enough? Thank you!

We use MUS as our main math program, but would like to begin supplementing with Saxon as reinforcement/review. My son will be finishing up the MUS book prior to Pre-Algebra and I'm wondering where the best place to begin Saxon is with him. (I am planning on taking a year off of MUS and using Saxon for the year.) I currently have the older (hardback) editions of Saxon 76 and Algebra 1/2. He has pretty much mastered 3/4 of the Saxon 76 book. Can he go from 76 straight to Algebra 1/2, or am I better off having him do the Saxon 87 and then Algebra 1/2? Also, is there much overlap between Saxon 76 and Saxon 87? I'm "new" to Saxon, so still trying to learn how it all is laid out! I appreciate any insight/help you can give :001_smile:.

Just remember your quarter!!! We found the milk prices to fluctuate a LOT, especially during the summer. At one point 1 gallon was as low as $1.50! It steadily increased, but still stayed cheaper than WalMart. Things we used to buy from there on a regular basis: Chocolate chips Vanilla Spices MILK! Butter Frozen juice

Oh, no! How frustrating! Hoping you can clean it up and not too much is lost :(.

I think there's just WAY too much temptation and opportunity for evil available to unsupervised teens....even "good" teens! I have a son that would do great by himself.....very independent, responsible, honest, trustworthy, etc., BUT as his parent we need to protect them from themselves, sometimes. And this means not purposely putting them in situations that might cause them to stumble, if you know what I mean.

We own our own business. Dh started it "from scratch" and it has been quite an "uphill" road! I'm glad we've done it, as is dh, but you need to be prepared for it to really take awhile before things get rolling. We knew we wouldn't see much return from our investment for a while, and we're still not "succeeding" (in a business sense), but making progress. Lots of lessons learned, but the main advice I'd have is make sure you have a BUDGET for your family and you can make it for a decent amount of time if your business doesn't turn a profit for a while.

My son dealt with this pretty often a few years ago, but fortunately seems to have outgrown it mostly now (yeah!). A few things that seemed to help him were ginger candies (we tried to get all-natural ones at the health food store) and sitting near a window. We had a van, so he would sit behind the driver's seat only. Also, a hand-held battery-powered fan helped him to stay cooled off and not feel so sick to his stomach. I always felt so bad for him, but he was a trooper and rarely complained :).

My drs have always recommended alternating Tylenol and Motrin for these types of scenarios. Appearantly they work in different ways, so as long as you wait 4-6 hours between Tylenol doses and 6-8 hours between Motrin doses, you can use them concurrently.